Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest Chapter 2020: The Laughing Hollow

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His Spirit Aura shifted once more as he combined Ocean Step with the technique, charging at lightning speed toward the Hollow with every ounce of force he could muster. It looked once again as if he were swimming through the middle of the air. Using his head as the striking point, he slammed into the Hollow’s chest and sent the creature hurling through dozens of ruined houses before it crashed deep into a crimson forest beyond.

A massive explosion of azure spirit energy erupted right afterward. Sailor was left gasping for nether as he stared at the distant impact site. The entire forest had been blown apart by the force of the blow.

He quickly ran back to his friend and found him reduced to a pile of bones. Norman’s spirit heart was shattered, with only two pieces remaining out of three.

"Norman, hang in there! I’ll put you back together!"

Although skeletons usually felt no pain and could remain functional even when separated, they would slowly leak out nether energy and eventually die. Because Norman was cultivating a special power that gave true "life" to his very bones, the destruction hurt him far more intensely than it would a normal undead.

"You have to run... Sailor...! It’s here!"

"?!"

Sailor felt a massive presence appear behind him. The humanoid Hollow stood there once more, slender yet powerfully muscular, its body formed of hard black muscle fiber that looked like polished obsidian. Half of a hollow mask covered the upper part of its face, revealing a real, sharp smile beneath. Sharp black demonic horns jutted from its head, and a pair of long bat-like wings spread behind it.

The Hollow had returned a little beaten. Its bone armor was cracked and broken in several places, yet its true body, those incredibly dense and hard muscles, remained almost completely fine.

Its ability to imitate the words of others remained as bizarre and unsettling as ever.

"Damn bastard!"

Sailor roared as his power exploded outward. He pushed himself toward his stronger abilities, his aura shifting violently while power surged endlessly through him. The strength of the ocean itself was being channeled into every fiber of his being.

"?!"

The Hollow suddenly found itself drowning inside an endless ocean as Sailor expanded his Aura and trapped the creature inside a pseudo domain.

From there, Sailor attacked without hesitation.

"I’ll kill you!!!"

The Hollow only laughed, the sound grating on Sailor’s nerves more than anything else. In response, Sailor controlled the sea of nether and spirit energies within his pseudo domain and conjured his techniques with renewed fury.

His Raging Sea Spirit Aura transformed into dozens of enormous Sea Serpents, while his hands turned into their sharp, venomous fangs.

For a brief moment it seemed as though Sailor’s strikes had become coiling, serpentine attacks that injected corrosive water venom, dealing heavy damage over time to the Hollow. Each blow attempted to pierce the creature’s body and shatter both its muscles and bones, yet he could not break through.

Instead, his own hands shattered and snapped into pieces. The monster he faced was simply too hardy and tough!

It seemed the Hollow’s turn had finally arrived.

The creature laughed as it swung its fist forward. Its aura shifted and took the form of a giant black, ghostly anchor.

Sailor gasped as the massive anchor struck him. An immense weight sent his body crashing hard into the ground, and his bubble-like pseudo domain shattered completely under the force of his own body falling through the barrier.

Sailor coughed blood as he watched the Hollow slowly descend toward him. He noticed its ghostly aura shifting once more, taking the exact form of the same techniques he had just used, only now darker and formed from pure abyssal death darkness.

"Impossible! You stole my fucking technique?!"

The Hollow laughed and charged toward Sailor with a Hammerhead strike of its own. An explosion of black thunder erupted on impact, shattering the ground and sending dozens of boulders and ruined houses flying through the air amidst the bright flash.

Sailor stepped back and then kicked the ground hard, charging forward once more. He reinforced his body to its absolute limits, drawing every last bit of energy he could from the souls as they were released. He struck the monster’s face with all his remaining power and shattered half of its mask, revealing empty red eyes beneath that were unable to blink.

The thing laughed maniacally as it grabbed Sailor and smashed his face down into the dirt. Then it kicked him away and unleashed dozens of tentacle-like attacks that wrapped tightly around his body. Sea serpent-like techniques followed, coiling around his limbs and trying to break him into pieces.

Sailor screamed as his aura shifted once more, transforming into a giant jellyfish. His fingers regenerated through his magic, and then—

With pure fury he unleashed another technique.

With all his remaining strength, thunder and electricity charged within the tentacles of his spirit form. He pierced through the Hollow’s body and electrocuted its internal structure with rapid palm strikes followed by powerful kicks, paralyzing the monster’s muscles and dehydrating it at long last.

"?!"

The Hollow was clearly shocked by the sudden pain it felt. Sailor followed up immediately, aiming for the weakened and dehydrated section of its chest.

His two hands took the form of a pair of enormous, cutting scissors. With swashbuckling fury he sliced across the monster’s entire torso, severing the Hollow’s chest armor and cutting through part of its torso completely.

"...!"

The Hollow panicked as its innards splattered across the ground. It vomited blood and glared at Sailor with pure anger instead of its usual smile.

The monster opened its maw wide and bit into Sailor’s hand, tearing it apart and devouring the limb.

"D-Damn bastard!"

Sailor kicked the monster’s face hard and dug his remaining hand deep into the open wound. Only then did he see dozens of fleshy, tentacle-like tendrils wrapping and coiling tightly around his hand and arm.

"What?!"

That was not all. The Hollow’s face shifted further, revealing thousands of sharp fangs that sank deep into his shoulder and tore the entire limb off completely along with the remaining arm.

As Sailor screamed in agony, he kicked the monster’s head with everything he had left and sent it flying. Then he rushed toward Norman with the last of his strength.

"W-We have to run! We can’t handle that monster...!"

The Hollow began walking on all fours and charged toward him while repeating his words in that same mocking tone.

"I can’t leave you behind, Norman! We’re pals, comrades! Remember?!"

Sailor’s empty eyes gleamed brightly as his bones rattled with determination.

The Hollow drew closer as Sailor grabbed what remained of Norman and packed the pieces carefully into a bag, trying to run as fast as his damaged body would allow.

But the Hollow closed the distance rapidly. It punched him down hard and spilled Norman’s remains across the ground once more.

Norman gasped as he looked up at his friend in such a terrible state. His eyes gleamed with sudden brightness.

He could not let his friend end like this.

His bones rattled even harder, responding to his pure Intent.

It was an act of selflessness in these most dreadful of moments.

"Huh?!"

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